Tale as Old as Time
by accioweasleys4
Summary: Oliver's obsession with Quidditch eventually catches up with him when an old fashioned witch shows up at his house one night. Beauty and the Beast AU fic.


**A/N: This was probably the hardest fic I've written for a challenge yet. The theme for round five on the Pirate Ship Battles was creature blood, and this is what I came up with. It's a Beauty and the Beast AU fic. I hope it works! I used the prompts help, ghost, leaves, and sparrow. It's also for the January Scavenger Hunt Competition. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

* * *

Oliver had just helped Puddlemere United win the Quidditch World Cup. His emotions were running high; so high that he had had another one night stand with some girl he didn't even know. She was one of his loyal fans though, they had met at the local pub.

But she didn't matter to him. Nobody did. Oliver quickly left the hotel room and Apparated to his flat.

Ahh, he was safe here. Safe from prying eyes. He was safe from the ghosts of his past. A sparrow flew by his window as he started to prepare a glass of wine. Oliver was just starting to get ready to take a swallow when he heard a knock come from his door.

He realized that the weather was quite dreary when he opened the door. Leaves entered, though he ignored them even though he hated having leaves in his flat. The weather didn't match his mood at all, though maybe it did at the same time. After all, he was feeling a hint of depression. Winning quidditch world cups and sleeping with girls he didn't know wasn't keeping him happy anymore.

Oliver blinked when he saw an old lady standing at the doorway. She was wearing a purple battered cloak, and looked very fragile. Rain started coming down quickly, and he felt compelled to help her in some way. She didn't look like she had anywhere to go, so he opened the door. "Do you want to come in until the rain stops?" he asked her politely.

He hoped he wouldn't regret this decision to be helpful for once.

The old lady smiled, and her yellow teeth shined in the light. "Oh, yes. That would be very helpful. Thank you." She quickly walked in, and immediately made herself at home on his couch.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her, but he couldn't take this back now. "Do you want anything to drink?" he said finally.

"Oh, that would be lovely. Tea please, and thank you," the old lady gushed when she took her cloak off. "I don't suppose you could make it warmer in here either? It's so cold in here," she said as she shivered slightly.

"Sure," Oliver answered nonchalantly as he headed toward his kitchen. He found himself hoping that the rain would stop any time now.

He quickly made tea for her and started the fireplace before sitting down awkwardly.

"Thank you, dear. You're such a handsome fellow. Have you ever had a girlfriend?" She carefully poured sugar into her drink.

Oliver thought of Katie briefly and shrugged his shoulders. "It's a long story," he said finally.

"Quidditch is your true love, isn't it?" she asked knowingly.

He had just took a sip of his tea when she said that and lowered it curiously. "How do you know that?" he asked her curiously.

The old lady chuckled as she gestured around the room. "You've got more trophies and Quidditch posters than actual pictures…though I expect you keep pictures in a special spot, don't you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. His strange feeling was growing stronger by the second. As if it had read his emotions, the rain had suddenly stopped.

"The rain is letting up now…it'd probably be safe for you to go home now. It's_ late_," he said, emphasizing on the word late.

"Oh, but we must have more tea," she exclaimed as her smile grew broader.

A frown appeared on his face as he glanced at his drink. A funny feeling started stirring inside of his body…almost as if something was taking over him. His eyes widened as he glanced over at her. "You put something in my drink. What did you do?" he accused as he stepped forward. He felt the urge to hurt her, but he managed to stop himself by reminding himself that she was still an old lady.

"Just a little…potion that has creature blood in it…to turn you into a beast."

Oliver's eyes widened. "A beast? Why?"

"You can't go on living like this. You need love in your life. Not just quidditch."

"So you decided to turn me into a BEAST?" Oliver growled, and he glanced down in shock as fur started to appear on his shoulders. "Bloody hell….you think this will make me win a woman over?" he turned the table and pushed a lamp off the table.

"Relax…this can be broken," the lady said as she started walking toward the door. "It can be broken by a true love's kiss." She giggled manically, and Oliver fought the urge to lunge at her again. He gasped when he started growing taller.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" her eyes shined wickedly as she opened the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. You must get a kiss from your true love in one year. Otherwise you'll be in this state forever."

"GET OUT!" Oliver growled at her as he stormed at the door. The door slammed before he could make another move towards her.

* * *

Oliver avoided looking at mirrors the rest of the week. He couldn't stand being a… a creature though. He actually had to call out sick, claiming he had a severe disease to get out of flying. That was the least of his problems now though. He suddenly realized that he needed help. But who would help him in this state? He really didn't want to be stuck in this state forever.

An idea suddenly appeared in his mind though. The Weasley twins could help him! They were the type of friends who could look past his bad faults, though in this case it would be his looks. He quickly grabbed a spare of parchment and quill to write out what was happening and sent it off with his owl, Snitch.

Sure enough, an hour later he heard another knock on his door. Oliver hesitated before he slowly opened it. He lowered his head so he wouldn't see the twin's reactions, though they both let out an impressed gasp. "Wicked! You're actually…a beast?"

Fred reached out to feel his fur, and Oliver yanked his arm away. "It's not wicked! I can't stay like this. I'm already going crazy for not playing Quidditch for a week…this could last a life time!"

"Why would that old fashioned witch do this to you?" George asked curiously as they walked in.

"Because she's a miserable old bat," Fred and Oliver answered simultaneously. Their eyes widened in surprise when they realized they said that together.

"Well, how can you get rid of this curse?"

"By finding my true love," Oliver said, sighing as he sat down on the couch. "That's stupid really though. Quidditch is my true love."

"Nonsense! There's plenty of girls who'd love to go out with you!" Fred said eagerly. "Maybe Luna-" he started to say, but George interrupted him.

"Luna isn't…available," he said in a somewhat strangled voice. "I was going to tell you later…but we're seeing each other now."

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? It's about time!" He said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. George's ears turned red, though he looked pleased all the same.

"How about Verity? Verity already knows Oliver."

Fred crossed his arms and looked thoughtfully at him. "I suppose that might work…or Angelina! Hey, that's two girls for you," he said, looking pleased with himself.

Oliver grew uncomfortable. "Can guys go on two dates in one night? I'd really like this to be over with as soon as possible," he said.

"Of course! I dated two girls in one day before at Hogwarts," Fred said proudly. "That was before Hermione though," he added quickly.

* * *

The twins managed to set the dates up with both girls and helped Oliver get ready, though he didn't really want them to witness this awkward situation. The two dates ended as soon as they started though. Verity backed out due to his beastly features, and Angelina had admitted sadly that she was seeing Lee, though she didn't really want the twins to know about their relationship.

The twins were astonished to see Oliver arrive home early, though they had recruited Hermione to help. "She was just a back up plan," Fred assured Oliver when he gave Fred a questioning look.

"Wow, Oliver….this makes me think of a Muggle story I read growing up. Don't worry, true love cured the spell in that book."

"That's good to know… now if you can think of anybody who would date me like this, that'd be helpful," Oliver told her.

Hermione grew thoughtful as she watched the twins bend over a parchment. "Well….what about Katie Bell?" she asked after several moments.

Oliver's heart raced at the mention of Katie. "Katie?" he asked softly. "Why her?"

"She likes quidditch as much as you do. And you two seemed to have a connection back at Hogwarts," Hermione said with a smile.

"That was a long, long time ago. We were also just friends," Oliver said quickly.

The twins snickered, though Fred kissed Hermione on the cheek proudly. "That's a brilliant idea, love! I wonder why we didn't think of that before?"

"Because I'm the brilliant one," Hermione replied teasingly.

"I don't know," Oliver said as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. "What if she's seeing somebody? We shouldn't rely on her."

"She's single," George answered proudly. "Percy asked her out, but she turned him down."

"All right," he said quietly as the others high fived each other happily.

"This'll work out," Hermione said as she patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You'll see."

* * *

Oliver nervously waited for Katie at Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. That pub was a strange place to be at anyway, so he didn't think the bartender would really mind him being there. Plus he was counting on nobody being there.

He was wrong though. Fred, Hermione, Luna and George were sitting at a table when he arrived. Oliver walked over to them furiously. "Guys! I appreciate your help, but this is…too much," he said honestly.

Fred and George had the audacity to look innocent. "Why, Oliver! We just happened to show up here at the same time. But the timing is helpful. True love is at stake, you know."

The door opened and Oliver scrambled away from their table quickly. He didn't want Katie to see him with them, but she saw them anyway. She gave them a small smile as she walked over toward them. "Hey guys…." She shyly met Oliver's eyes. "Hi Oliver. I'm sorry about your…current state."

"Katie! Hi…hi," Oliver stammered nervously, wishing he could say something interesting.

"You know what this pub needs?" Fred said loudly as he got stood up quickly.

"Dancing!"

"No," the bartender answered immediately.

"Oh come on. You'd get more business here if you'd allow people to dance. Just this one time?"

"Let the kids do what they want!" An older witch called out from nearby.

Oliver chuckled, and was pleased to see that Katie didn't look repulsed at the idea of dancing with him.

The bartender sighed irritably before he turned his jukebox in and disappeared into the back muttering about demanding customers.

A slow beat came on and Oliver shyly offered a hand out to Katie.

Katie blushed before accepting it.

They danced in silence for one song before Oliver finally asked her a question. "Katie…" he cleared his voice nervously before starting to talk again. "Why are you here when you knew that I'm…I'm a beast?"

Katie shrugged and met his eyes. "I know you aren't really," she said finally. "But I know what it's like to be cursed. At least you aren't in a coma like I was."

Oliver's eyes widened. He had forgotten all about Katie being cursed, even though he shouldn't have. Of course she would've been the one who'd understand him!

"How can you get out of this mess?" Katie asked him slyly.

Oliver swallowed nervously. "By true love's kiss," he muttered finally.

"That's it?" Katie asked incredulously.

"That's it? What do you mean that's it?" Oliver demanded to know. He didn't get to say anything else because her lips were suddenly on his, catching him off guard. He could only focus on her…his sweet Katie. The kiss continued for another minute, and the world felt like it had stopped around them.

They finally pulled away after a moment, and Oliver looked down at himself and was surprised to see himself as a human again. "I guess that was it," Oliver admitted finally.

Katie grinned as she hugged him tightly. "Welcome back," she said affectionately as the others crowded around them.

Fred turned to Hermione. "I guess you really are the brilliant one," Oliver heard him say.

He couldn't help smiling then. It was good to have his normal body again after being a beast for a week.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


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